This blog is still and maybee always will be in alpha. There is no strict editorial direction at this time, but it's likely to be rantings and ravings about technology, design, art, culture and especially all things new media.

Friday, April 15

Vlog on Vlog - Josh Leo makes manifesto

Josh Leo is a fairly new face in the vlogosphere and right from my home state of Michigan! I'm so excited I have a new vlogging celebrity in my home state! :) He's from Grand Rapids in fact. I've spent quite a bit of time up there with Kendall School of design folk. (But let's not forget the Human Dog crew from Detroit!)

Anyway, this week Josh Leo's the man. In his first ever rant he makes brilliant manifesto for video blogging. What I love most about this piece is not just how much it kicks ass, but that I think an outsider could even get it. Case in point this comment posted on Josh's vlog in response.

Hey dude, well, if it makes you feel any more "important" I had honestly NEVER heard of such a thing as a vlog before in all my life, till stumbling on yours, courtesy of the "next blog" button. Intriguing stuff. So if nothing else you have the distinction of introducing me to this 'brand new' medium...even if it is at the community theater level. ;)

It's going to be the first video on my source list for newbies. The first point of reference.

"Vlogs...What an exciting new development I find myself in the middle of! I have been thinking a lot about Vlogs and their implications. This is my first rant video... I hope you enjoy it. I would love if this started a video conversation, in fact I encourage it. (Sorry to all my non-vlogging friends, but this post is pretty much geared towards those who are familiar with the Vlogosphere) I don't mean to say that the popular vloggers are less approachable, I just think that they are somehow more powerful..."

On a side note I see something amazing and good happening. I see the video blogging world is becoming highly developed and more diverse with each passing day, but the press and the hype hasn't picked up on it yet. A friend of mine (not a vlogger but a vlog fan) mentioned this to me. It's just kicking ass, but it's remaining somewhat isolated from the hype podcasting has received.

I've talked for years to anyone that would listen about the bubbling rich media internet, a huge incalculable hidden pool lurking just below the surface of the internet the rest of the world sees everyday. It's always been my goal to reach into that, to bring it to the surface for the world to see and in so doing help turn the internet and media inside out. To decentralize the media and to help others find their voices.

We all know what it is and we know its power. We occasionally see it, such as when Jib Jab releases a presidential parody in Flash media that's downloads tens of millions of times... or how about the the infamous Jon Stewart on CNN Crossfire clip that's online distribution dwarfed it's TV viewership,,, or the word of blog network which spread first person videos of the Tsunami around the world.

It's only a select few who really get to experience this world, but through video blogging we have come to live in this new space just below the surface. We're a part of this new slow tidal wave of change, we are shepherds of new media, and hopefully through video blogging we'll bring everything we know and love about new media to the surface of the internet for all to enjoy and participate in.

In my opinion this time period right now is a great thing. (Or perhaps I'm just to inspired right now by the documentary Dogtown and Z-boys. ;)

The longer we can avoid the hype the better right now. It may never get more golden than this. (Or it might!) This in fact must be something like what first users of the internet felt. For a short time we get to know everyone. We're still a single diverse community and though I hope it will last and want it to last there may be a time when I find myself saying "I remember when i knew so and so" in speaking of more than a few of you. Let's hope one of the characteristics of this new media means we can have our cake and eat it to.

Old media hype has a reality distortion feed. It conjures up terrible misconceptions and ultimately can even spark backlash. The longer we can polish and grow this community one person at a time... the longer we can polish our skills, media, tools and services before this critical mass comes the better. It will come will come in it's own time lets just hope not all at once.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the success of the vlogosphere and the speed at which it will be picked up by the masses has to do with one thing at this point. All the factors are in place with ourmedia.org, mediaRSS coming along, mefeedia and great community, but the killer app of the video blogging revolution is going to be ANT for Windows. The success of the initial release of this application will go hand in hand with video blogging because it is how the newcomer majority will first experience video blogging.

Josh gives a nodd to ANT, and in turn I say we need to get it out for Windows for not only Josh and the rest of the current vlogging community, but for all the as yet undiscovered Josh's out there. And we need to put a directory in it so all the new talent can have the chance to be discovered right along side the over the hill gang.